Reps. Kelly, Zinke introduce resolution addressing alarming number of terror watchlist suspects crossing U.S. Northern border
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This week, U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Chairmen of the Northern Border Security Caucus, introduced a resolution calling on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to address the alarming number of suspects on the terror watchlist who are crossing into the United States along the Northern border with Canada.
To date in FY23, 85% of all suspected terrorists encountered at land border ports of entry have crossed into the United States along the Northern border, according to U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP). That number is up from just 34% in FY2021.
Reps. Kelly and Zinke's resolution comes amid reports of thousands of 'special interest aliens' from Middle East countries stopped at southern border since 2021. This includes 3,153 from Egypt, 659 from Iran, 538 from Syria, 164 from Lebanon and other areas surrounding the ongoing war between Israel and the terror group Hamas.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) along with Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI), Carol Miller (R-WV), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and John Moolenaar (R-MI) have co-sponsored the resolution.
"At a time of increased global uncertainty, we must take every measure necessary to secure our country. That includes our Northern border, which is greatly unsecured and overexposed," Rep. Kelly said. "The majority of suspected terrorists caught this year have crossed between the U.S. and Canada, which is the longest continuous border between two countries in the entire world. I'm calling on Secretary Mayorkas to recognize the unique crisis along the Northern border and to work with Congress to solve this problem that gravely threatens our entire nation."
"The first thing bad guys do is go where the good guys aren’t. Right now, all our good guys are dealing with Biden’s crisis on the Southwest border leaving the north unprotected and vulnerable to criminals, cartels, and terrorists," Rep. Zinke said. "In the wake of tragedy the world is experiencing in the Middle East, it is imperative we look in every direction and lock it down so Americans stay as safe as possible – that includes the North where Mayorkas is failing."
BACKGROUND
Of the 505 individuals on the terror watchlist that CBP has encountered at ports of entry since the beginning of the current fiscal year, 429 have occurred at the Northern border.
In Aug. 2023, 55% of all illegal drug seizures (by weight) at U.S. borders came on the Northern border.
More Northern border land encounters have occurred so far in FY23 than in ALL of 2020, 2021, and 2022 COMBINED.
Since President Biden took office in Jan. 2021, there has been a 20,043% increase in Northern land border encounters.
As record levels of border encounters and drug smuggling continue to increase, U.S. Border Patrol staffing on the Northern border has remained constant since Fiscal Year 2009.
The Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS) – also known as the “watchlist” – is the U.S. government’s database that contains sensitive information on terrorist identities. The TSDS originated as the consolidated terrorist watchlist to house information on known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) but has evolved over the last decade to include additional individuals who represent a potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watchlisted individuals.
In February 2023, Reps. Kelly and Zinke founded the Northern Border Security Caucus to highlight the unique challenges and demands created by illegal immigration and drug smuggling in the 13 states along the U.S.-Canadian border. Spanning more than 5,500 miles between Alaska and Maine, the U.S. northern border is the longest border between two countries in the world.
In March 2023, Reps. Kelly and Zinke published an op-ed on FoxNews.com explaining their work and the challenges along the Northern border.